HIGHLIGHTS

From: "TG"

Dear vision doctors and vision teachers,

I just wanted to thank you guys again for the totally awesome devices you’ve given me. In fact, I’m wearing my deluxe-mega-glasses right now while I type this! (1 foot away, of course) I had used the special glasses yesterday, too. They’re like what Albert Einstein wore but four-times better. They changed my life. I was so excited, it makes me wonder why people with 20/20 vision don’t celebrate everyday. I almost cried… it was the first time I could read like a normal person. I’ve always loved reading and I began writing when I was 9 and now I’m 14, so it’s useful. I’m legally blind and have ROP.

I love how the globe glass lights up to help me read. It makes me feel like a wizard in one of those fantasy movies with big noses and they need to use magnifiers and candles to read. The sunglasses are great, too. I didn’t want to take them off when we got home. They made the world look so rosy as my grandpa says. Looking forward to the Easy Pocket, too. I could read at 3 o'clock in the morning and Mom would never know. *Rubs hands together and laughs maniacally*.

You all were so nice. I can see just by the way you all were that you really care about your jobs and patients.

Thank-you!Rachell

“That was the best eye doctor visit I have ever had!”

“One day I went to the clinic. Man, it was cool. I met a lot of nice people there and they were very nice. I hope I can go to the clinic again soon.”

Happy Families

“As a parent I left the clinic with a sense of relief. Finally we had found a team which could almost have been 'customized' for our sons special needs. As we observed our son being assessed by each team member, I had the overwhelming feeling of being in the right place. Finally we were 'home.'”

“The CLVP-BC clinic was a very valuable experience for folks like us from outlying areas who do not have easy and/or ongoing access to vision related professionals.”

“I hope that each child who is visually impaired in BC will have the chance to meet these wonderful vision professionals who take their time to come and help us.”

“The CLVP-BC team provided a rich and memorable assessment experience for our son. They went to considerable lengths and kindly accommodated to his special needs for assessment. I was impressed with the efficient organization of the progressive assessment stations set up in the clinic."

“I just wanted to let you know how much we were incredibly impressed by the clinic, and not just that it exists, but with the people that work it. What an incredible group! We were blown away!”

Happy Teachers and Health Professionals

cne of my students recently attended the Children's Low Vision Project's Clinic. It was a wonderful experience. I have had several of my students attend clinics in the past (and all have been fantastic experiences), but I was a bit nervous about this particular situation because the student was in Grade One, has low vision and a diagnosis of autism. In spite of the autism, we decided to go forward with the application to the clinic since the clinic was going to be in her town and this was a rare event. So after lots of discussions with the school-based team we decided to prepare the student for the CLVP - clinic, months in advance. Using the LEA symbols, this student's support worker practiced with her a couple of times a week, with my student pointing to the symbols at varying distances. We used the near vision LEA Symbols and the distance vision LEA symbols. As the time got closer to the clinic we also practiced using some of the color tests. The student support worker would take my student into a specific room in the school and work on these symbols (using a specific area of the school made it seem a little different for my student, and this was a good thing).

I informed the CLVP team about my student and her specific needs well in advance. Then prior to the day the clinic I met with the team and went over specifics with them. In particular, I noted that my student would probably need a break in between each of the stations, she would need some physical activity, and she may also need a treat (could be a sticker or a candy). My student's Foster Mother had started talking to the student about this appointment a few weeks in advance. The Foster Mother also brilliantly thought ahead to asking if the student could visit the site of the Clinic in advance. The Foster Mother was quite aware of the fact that the student might think it was a medical appointment and in the past, these appointments have been uncomfortable for my student. So on the day before the clinic, Foster Mom, my student, and the District Partner visited the room that would be used for the clinic.

The school-based team had also discussed what would be the best time of day for my student to attend the Clinic. They all thought that the first appointment of the day would be best for my student as she would be at her most alert. They also felt that going directly to the Clinic would be easier for my student instead of going to school first and then leaving from the school to go to the clinic later in the day. The team at CLVP was very accommodating about this scheduling need.

I told the team that Foster Mom was very insightful and that while she would try to be in the background, they could easily look to her for visual guidance as the assessment progressed.

On the day of the clinic, the team of the CLVP was magnificent! They took their time, they waited for my student to be ready, and they got remarkable information about the student's visual abilities, information that we had not been able to find out from previous assessments and observations. The student participated fully in all of the stations and was quite comfortable with the whole procedure.

The school-based team along with the student support worker, our district partner, and the entire staff from the CLVP all worked hard knowing this is an unusual situation. The time and effort really paid off.

I cannot say enough about all of the members of the CLVP - they are all terrific and very student-focused. We are very lucky to have this service in British Columbia - thank you!

“From a medical perspective, the opportunity to have so many 'ophthalmic' experts working together as a team in this project, striving to discuss each case as a group with the clear objective of customizing a treatment/action plan to maximize both visual acuity and the child’s individual potential is invaluable.”

“Each family commented on how much they appreciated the opportunity for a clinic in this region. Having the opportunity to actually try out the array of aids and technology assisted the students and their parents in understanding how to best utilize the aids, optimize vision and reduce challenges. Of greatest benefit for the families and students was the opportunity to meet with a comprehensive team, as they better understood the interrelated aspects of the assessments and recommendations.”

“The CLVP-BC team is a diverse group of committed and talented professionals who spared no effort to accommodate the complex specialized needs of our student and provide a plethora of effective programming recommendations.”